Kids playing are enjoying themselves tremendously. And the more they are moving their bodies the more fun they get. Yet, getting older means for many of us that the fun part is not associated to exercise any longer. Going into a gym or doing any kind of exercise is difficult for many women over 40- so it's getting harder and harder to lose weight permanently.

Yet, things could be different. If you're exercising regularly, you'll feel better. People tend to feel more energy, feel more effective and successful and are emotionally more stable.

Recent research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine looked into the results of exercise on the quality of life of menopausal women. All women were overweight or obese and had a sedentary lifestyle. They received 3 different exercise plans, with different level of intensity. As always in these studies, a control group had no exercise at all.

The results are interesting: Even if the women did not lose any weight (that means, they counterbalanced the exercise by eating more), their quality of life enhanced. More exercise lead to better well-being, higher intensity of the exercise program leads to higher quality of life.

The exercise program providing the lowest intensity made the women feel better as well. Naturally, to lose weight permanently over 40 you have to integrate physical activities in your life style. But you shouldn't do it only because you want to lose weight. You will feel better and enjoy your life even more- especially if you are over 40.